Fugitives
The Initiation Koyuki had grown accustomed to missing a few meals a day. Even when she was fed, it was hardly even a fraction of what she required to sustain herself. Because of her strength—which was a direct result of the devil fruit she consumed—she required nearly sixty thousand calories a day. Here, she was maybe getting two thousand a week from the guards. She had begun resorting to eating her own silk, and on some days, if she was extremely hungry, she ate her own legs. Again, it was only because of her devil fruit that they grew back, but that required transforming, which took an incredible amount of energy. In the end, it was truly an ineffective method of feasting. In truth, it was no means of nourishment at all. Yet, simply feeling as if she had eaten something was enough to make Koyuki feel better. It sustained her psychologically. Though, when she was allowed into the courtyard, there was a man who would slip half of his own meals to her. Since her arrival to this hellhole, he had been her only friend. Yet, his time was swiftly approaching. He was to be executed in a few short weeks, and that was the reason he offered to Koyuki for why he no longer needed food. He was going to go out “looking all nice and shit for those bastards”, she recalled him saying. Koyuki loved him. She didn’t quite understand why, or how, but she did. Whenever he told her one of his stupid jokes, it brought a smile to her face. After she had just been stomped and beaten by the guards as she walked to her cell, or when they spat in her face in the food lines in the dining hall, simply seeing him in the distance was enough to let her know it would be okay. She still wasn’t sure if she would have loved him if they had met outside of this prison. In fact, she’s certain he would have been someone she utterly despised, but, in this world, anyone that paid her any positive affection garnered her affection. As of now, he had been the only one. Though, it wasn’t as if the other prisoners had intentionally been assholes either. They just stayed away. They feared the repercussions the guards would issue. Afterall, she was perhaps the most hated criminal in the entire country of Wano, and her so-called “sorcery” didn’t make things better. People feared her power. That fear had materialized into utter hatred. They wanted her dead, and she was certain that the day would come, but without warning. One day, the guards would come, and she would find herself executed. Afterall, she had been imprisoned her even without a trial. She was told thousands of times her trial was being scheduled, but that was nearly two months ago. At this point, she didn’t even believe it anymore. The metal door to the prison creaked open, emanating a sound that the prisoners had long since become classically conditioned to fear. Many curled up at the mere thought, taking to defensive stances that came so natural to them as did blinking. But as they soon discovered, the guards had not entered the vicinity to torture them, nor to offer them the utter garbage that they referred to as food. No, they had come with a single man locked between their arms; a single man who, even as he was being dragged across the floor and brutally beaten, bore a wicked smirk upon his face. "Get in there!" one of the guards hollered, heaving the broken man into the cell directly beside Koyuki. The man, who looked to be a rather large one upon closer inspection, rolled inside, and kept on rolling until hitting the back wall. At which point his body merely collapsed, unable to sustain so much as a further bead of sweat. He had evidently reached an inevitable point of exhaustion. But even so, why did he still draw breath? The guards stripped him bare of his ceremonial attire. Judging by their cautionary care in handling it thereafter, it was clear that the garbs the man had once worn were sacred, or at least incredibly expensive. For it took the guard that carried them out of the prison both of his hands and then some, and they shined so bright that they almost appeared to have turned the prison into a paradise, if only temporarily. But as the metal down swung a second time, sealing shut, that small moment of bewilderment, that small moment of curiosity that for a mere moment, took away from all the pain and bloodshed, was gone completely. The man continued to lay on his backside long after the guards had left, utterly defeated. Blood gushed and fountained from the many gashes and bruises tattered across his broad physique, yet he hadn't enough energy to pay them any concern. He did not scream, nor shout. He did not holler, nor wail. He did not whimper, nor groan. Instead, he simply stared up at the ceiling, for what felt like eons, yet was truly only a matter of minutes. Until at long last, he somehow mustered the strength to lift his hand and carry it lower. And even lower, and lower, and lower, until it cuffed itself around something hard and long, which, by way of definition, could have been a katana. But the prisoners knew better than to have assumed that the man had somehow snuck a weapon inside. Once they interpreted the swift pumping motion of his hand, they turned away in disgust, very swiftly losing any interest in the new prisoner. Koyuki grimaced in disgust. "Please," she spoke ferociously, "finish up quickly. None of us want to hear that disgusting shit." Her words were blunt, but true. Many of the inmates simply didn't have the energy to do that anymore, and most didn't have the motivation. In fact, it was highly likely than a great deal of the prisoners no longer had the appendage needed. "I can't even believe that's the first thing on your mind. You realize you were just imprisoned, right?" Between moans, the man offered a quick glance in Koyuki's direction. And boy did he like what he saw. She was a sight to behold, even in such a horrid state, and it made his hand work all the more faster. "So what?" he mused plainly, "now's as good as any other time to take care of my business. Unless of course, that's your way of saying you'd like to give me a hand?" He brought himself to sit, resting his back against the wall and shuffling himself so that his shoulder was pressed against the piped bars that intertwined their two cells. "Really now, that'd save me the trouble of having to do it myself. Plus, it's always more fun when it's somebody else, am I right?" Was he... joking? It was hard to tell. After all, he hadn't a trace of guilt judging by the expression on his face. As if this was all routine to him, as if it were all... normal. "If you ask me some stupid shit like that again", Koyuki disgustingly started. "Actually, nevermind. You would be the type of person to probably get off on my threats. I won't offer you the satisfaction." A small silence succeeded her statement. A foreboding silence that, despite its nonexistence, was threatening. She caught a glimpse of his face as she inspected him. "After-all", Koyuki begun, "I wouldn't dare help the enemy." "Oh-ho, so you finally took notice," he chimed, nearly grunting in pleasure all the while, "I must say, I truly wasn't expecting you to remember me, considering we've only met once prior to... whatever you call this. As for myself, I never forget a fine ass. Especially not one that's as lush as your own!" The two had met one another for the very first time many months ago, on the battlefield. Bitter enemies they were at that time, looking to claw away at the other's life by any means necessary. The form he had seen her take at that time was a major turn-off, but strangely, sitting before her naked self as he were, he quickly found the attraction returning. Back then, he was a proud man. The Sanri district held him in high regards, celebrating him as the general of their immediate army. For he was Aoshin, the man who had been a prodigy of the blade ever since his days as a feeble child. He was not directly surprised to see that this woman had heard of him, but in the same sense, he too, had come to hear of her and of her mad revolt against the bulk of Wano. "You've seen better days, my friend," he joisted at last, looking her tainted figure over and hoping they could put aside their pasts and somehow band together in their time of need, "I take it you've been in here since that day?" The Past's Afflictions Koyuki didn't respond to his question immediately. It wasn't that she didn't necessarily want to, but she simply couldn't. Memories of that day overwhelmed her conscious, pulling her back into the nightmare that was that day. ''--- Cue Flashback --'' The enemy shinobi drew his sword against her own, yet with a riposte she disarmed him. "Please", Koyuki started to plea, but to no avail. Despite being weaponless, his fear propelled him to fight. He charged her still. She was fortunate her loyal clansmen moved to plunge their swords into her back. "Lady, Koyuki!, one yelled angrily, "You mustn't let your guard down." "But, he was our friend." Her clansmen struck down another ninja that charged his direction. "Not anymore he isn't." This was a poor truth of war. A friend could become a foe, and a foe could become a friend. These were men that had served her. They had defected from their own lords and had helped her to victory. In the end, I guess she wasn't as surprised. After-all, the armies they faced outnumbered them 10 to 1. Half their forces were already lost. So, if a few began defecting, or if a few defected prior to the start of the battle, she couldn't say that she didn't understand. But, that didn't mean she had to like it. The battle continued for hours, until Koyuki and a few dozen remained. They were surrounded by hundreds of shinobi and samurai, looking to defeat them. It was then she activated her hidden power. A fierce shockwave exuded from her very being, not only forcing the earth to crack under its pressure, but destroying the very minds of the hundreds, if not thousands, of enemies that surrounded her. This was the power of Koyuki, the power she had used to pave a way to victory, and today she had nearly won. But, such power takes a toll for an inexperienced wielder. With fatigue taking form, Koyuki too fell unconscious. ''--- End Flashback ---'' "That was the last thing I remember before waking up here", Koyuki finally responded after sitting silently. "Perhaps it's fortunate that we didn't personally clash blades. If that happened, then one of us wouldn't be here," she chuckled following her statement at the dark humor. "Or, maybe that's what is unfortunate." "Uh, yeah," he said, between scratching the back of his head with the same hand he had used to accomplish his earlier business, "right." She probably had no idea, but hell, he was the one who had carried her unconscious body all the way to the prison. Of course, he sadly played no part in stripping the woman, but thinking back upon it now, it was most certainly a missed opportunity! Koyuki's words brought him to ponder upon his own glory. Well, past glory, seeing as though he was stripped of it all now. Did Koyuki deserve to know all this? Eh, seeing as though they'd be stuck beside one another for who knows how long, he really had nothing to lose by telling her, right? "You're probably wondering why it is I'm here," he continued, nearly chuckling in between from feeling way too proud of himself, "you see, after my men and I managed to capture you, I was made into a bit of a hero. "Not that I wasn't beforehand, believe me, I was already getting a ton of head. But after we turned in a criminal such as yourself, that's when even the rich girls started flocking to me as well." Aoshin sighed. Oh what a wonder it was! For reasons he knew not, it was always the daughters of the political figureheads that he found the most pleasure in seducing. Was it because of the challenge that came with it? Or perhaps because, for some unknown wonder, rich girls were always just the hottest. "I uh, slept with the daimyo's daughter." He glanced over to Koyuki for a reaction. Part of him wanted to see whether or not she'd have been even just a tad bit jealous. But upon seeing her, he made to quickly correct himself. "A different daimyo, not the one you, you know... killed." There was a sudden gasp that rang out throughout the prison as a result of Aoshin's words. So everyone was listening. Perfect. But could they really be blamed? There was nothing else to do around here than to eavesdrop. Everyone loved a good story. It was only human nature. Aoshin rested his head back against the wall. "Shoot, she was really something else, too. That's part of the reason I got caught; I was there from sunset to sunrise. I just couldn't get myself to leave." Of course, he never mentioned that she was nearly half his age; at 27 years of age himself, the daimyo's daughter was only 16, strictly underage. But who was keeping track anyway, right? Koyuki sighed. "I thought for a moment that you were a victim of the daimyo's insecurities and corruption. But no, you're just a dumbass", Koyuki put bluntly. "But, even then, despite your stupidity, I can agree that you, like many of the people here, do not deserve it." For a moment, there seemed to be a speck of kindness in the air following her words. "Wait, though, to double check. It was consensual right?" "Yeah, yeah, for the most part," he chimed, before allowing himself some more time to think things over, "well, toward the beginning, at least. After that... let's just say I showed her some things she'd probably never seen up until that point." A devilish grin played on his lips. Just thinking back on that moment made him feel that much more like the bad ass he knew he was. Prison Break A massive eruption sounded off in Wano's premier prison facility. An army of prisoners, many of which had taken to their alternate forms, swarmed throughout the various districts of the country. Fighting ensued shortly thereafter, and chaos erupted at the very core of the island. Leading the valiant charge was none other than Aoshin, who mere months prior had been a respectable general admired by the countless warriors across the country. At his side were the countless other sorcerers whom he had gotten to know whilst in prison. One of them in particular stood out hard against the rest; it was the infamous Koyuki. Though he never knew what to make of it, Aoshin's life had forever changed after consuming a mystical fruit, which he remembered, tasted horrible. He had at his disposal what the rest of Wano referred to as "magical powers"; by them, he had been labeled a sorcerer. But in no way did he see that as being reason enough to be massacred. With his powers, Aoshin could very well see all that was going on within the entire country at once. In every direction, in every angle, all was made visible to him. And that was why there was no better man than he suited for leading such a revolt. "There's a large army headed our way from Kuri," he quickly warned, "they're coming in from the north. If we cross paths with them, there's absolutely no chance we'll survive." With a fast pivot, he turned to guide the prisoners in the opposite direction. "Hurry, this way!" There were those whom expressed doubt in Aoshin's capabilities even still. They weren't exactly convinced that he could see as far as he claimed; then again, who the hell could? Were they really to believe that this man could see so far as the Shogun's palace? It was utter bull shit! There were countless splits between the naked prisoners. All too many divisions to keep track, but as he found less prisoners behind him, Aoshin became infuriated. "Please, you've got to believe me! I know what I'm doing!" He stopped in his tracks to confront those who were breaking apart from his group. At which point, he eyed Koyuki strongly, and hurled his fist to the ground. "You have to believe me! We don't have a second to lose... this path we're taking now... it's the only way to our freedom!" Koyuki comfortably placed her hand upon his arm. "Please, Aoshin," she softly pleaded, "Calm down. Let me talk with them." Stepping away from Aoshin, she addressed the group, with her very words themselves naturally imbued with hints of her Haki. "The daimyo, the lords, the shogun, whoever it was that put you in this prison cares nothing for you. Did they put you in here out of sheer dislike? Perhaps. Did they put you in here because you actually committed a horrendous crime? Perhaps. But, what is not uncertain is that these people fear who you are, and what you are. They fear your abilities; I'm no different. I slayed one of their own for attempting to sentence my people to death. I fought for my clan, I bled for my clan, and here I sit in prison where I'm refused food, forced to walk naked, and subject to disgusting behavior, for, my, clan," Koyuki passionately addressed. "I would still sit on the throne if my own armies didn't fear my power and split. If they had trusted me, I would have long since conquered Wano entirely, and freed all of you from their corrupt imprisonment", Koyuki continued. While her earlier tone had surely been more authoritative, it had softened gradually. "So, please," she continued, choking back tears, "don't let the same happen to us. We must stick together in this our of need! So Please! Brave men and women. Trust Aoshin-Sama!" A resounding roar was uttered by the followers that remained, and Aoshin, with a new found spirit, began to lead the pack once more. In the next transpiring seconds, he would have to make a very important decision, one which only he knew was ever possible. There were two safe routes, as far as things went. One of which, of course, was safer than the other. One guaranteed a meeting with a small faction of samurai, while the other almost ensured they'd be able to get to where they needed to without coming into contact with anyone. But for how long did it truly guarantee anything? If they took the safest route possible, and then out of nowhere, something were to happen, they'd be goners. In Aoshin's mind, it was best to take a risk. Yes, they would need to fight and kill the small number of samurai that were ascending from the west. They would definitely lose men of their own, but in the bigger picture, it would provide for them a higher chance of survival. What good was it if they all died anyway? If one, even just one of them could make it out of Wano alive, then this wouldn't all be for nothing. As Aoshin led the pack further into the west, many heads were turned. The prisoners began to curse him as they laid their eyes upon the incoming samurai, but they prepared themselves to fight nonetheless. "You lier!" "You cheat!" "You fraud!" They continued to curse him, but Aoshin paid them little mind. With nothing more than his bare hands, he began to fight off the opposing samurai, and what he acquired was something he hadn't held in much too long. It was a sword, a nodashi, to be more precise. His blood boiled, and within seconds, he found his skills return to him as he cut down the wave of enemy samurai in one fell swoop. Bleeding through a gash on his forehead, he turned to the prisoners, some whom had died in the last few seconds, and began to dress himself in the garbs of the dead samurai. "It is kill or be killed! Those of you who want to live, follow my lead!" There was another powerful roar. Aoshin reached down and took a hold of another sword and tossed it to Koyuki. "You'll fight, won't you? I can see it in your eyes, you don't enjoy taking lives as much as I do. But you'll do it if it means you'll get out of here alive, right?" Koyuki caught the sword, and chuckled in response as she caught it. "Are you kidding me?", she replied amusingly, "I'm going to beat the living fucking shit out of these assholes." Tossing the sword aside, Koyuki grabbed the garments off the samurai to cover herself up. Though, the body where the clothes seemingly originated from was nowhere in sight. Koyuki wiped the edges of her lips before she spoke. “Plus, I prefer to use these hands of mine to rip them apart myself”, she joyfully pronounced, transforming a portion of her arms into claws. She stepped to his side, looking upwards into his eyes as even her 6-foot frame proved incapable of remotely matching his size. Allowing a smile to creep from her lips, which were stained a deep red as if she had somehow applied lipstick in the midst of battle, she joked, “Just make sure you can keep up, okay?” Among the supernatural fighting forces that were among their ranks, there was one more. However, he was weakened. Years of malnutrition and giving his meals to another lead his physique to deteriorate, and his pale silver hair did not elucidate even a single sign of strength. And yet he refused to die. As the enemy Samurai approached his weak body and his katana slashed downward, the silver-haired man's arm followed the blade's trail as his body lazily shifted to the right, the energy used in said swing suddenly diminishing as his left palm touched the edge of the blade. Invigorated for but a moment, his lower body suddenly gained the energy so that his left leg performed a slash so precise that it cut through the Samurai's right side seamlessly, leaving him screaming in pain as his life had soon left him. This man's name was Kosaka Isshin. A former regarded highly as a prized warrior, his peaceful protest against the Daimyo's corruption had lead him to be imprisoned by Charmers Dion, an elite operative of the sent to guard the Daimyo from Wano's tumultuous political state. He continued onward without any fear nor concern for his death. His only wish was that he could see his country return to a time of peace, and any price that he had to pay was nothing compared to his goals. ---- At another end, the Daimyo had begun to panic. All of those whom he had imprisoned had escaped and his forces were slowly being annihilated by those who wielded the so-called magical powers. "You all must go at once! Subdue those rebels with any force that you need to! My position cannot be compromised!" While the others immediately followed his command, one specific man, Charmers Dion, had stood still for a moment. He knew very well that the deeds this Daimyo had done, and the people that had been arrested in the process. Nonetheless, he forced himself to consider subduing this chaos as a part of his duty. But he had already made his intentions clear to his comrades, following this mission, the Marine Headquarters would know of this Daimyo's exploits. ---- The pack of prisoners was on the move again. His senses sharp, and his line of sight expanded over all of Wano, Aoshin was once more leading the charge. But a nervous tear of sweat trickled down from his forehead as he realized the marines were on their tail as well. "What the hell are they doing here? Shit, things couldn't get any worse..." Aoshin looked toward Koyuki with uncertainty. "They've sent the marines after us. What sort of business might they have in Wano? I just don't understand!" "Please, Aoshin," Koyuki casually addressed, stepping in front of him. Her smile intensified. "Do not forget why they never approach this land, because they are afraid of our might." Despite her confidence, Koyuki truly didn't know why the marines were here. Then again, she didn't truly care either. "Them being here has no relevancy," she materialized publicly, "Because if they get in my way, just as my enemies before me had, and just as those samurai that challenged us, they will too be crushed by my might!" Widowed Black "So yeah, I was really confused as to why the marines were in Wano at all. No seriously, I was really confused! Like what the hell, am I right? So I told Daddy what I saw, and she was all like, 'do not forget why they never approach this land,' and basically, she was really impressed by my leadership skills. And even though we were in the middle of a huge war, I mean, she really just couldn't resist my good looks. So she pulled me by the arm, led me into a nearby alleyway, and the next thing I know, she's really giving it to me. The fact that her clothes were off to begin with made things a lot more convenient for us, I tell ya." The ship's crew was mesmerized by Aoshin's story. There was a lot to be inspired by, from the initial forming of the Black Widow Pirates all the way to their prison break from Wano's premier prison facility. But what captured the hearts of all those present in particular was the fact that Aoshin had supposedly stuck his katana up the captain's arse. In a bout of surprise, another individual had entered the stage, whose authority and presence almost matched that of Aoshin. "Don't believe him." His low voice uttered, causing confusion among those who listened to the navigator's story. It was Kosaka Isshin, the Fifth Division Commander of the Black Widow Pirates, and one of the characters in this grand story Aoshin was telling. "As a survivor of that event, let me finish off the rest of the story. Your beloved navigator here doesn't have any intention of showing the Captain in any light besides that of a red one, after all." Aoshin didn't need to turn his head to meet the direction of the voice; the powers of his fruit enabled him to see everything for what it was with strict comfort. Still, hearing that voice almost instantaneously killed Aoshin's mood. Ishhin, that bastard. Faking a yawn, the Black Panther fanned his mouth. "Yeah you know, that's a rather good idea. I have some business to attend to anyway, so you can pick up from where I left off." Aoshin stood up and began to march off, reaching into the insides of his kimono in the process to fetch a scroll and quill. He planned to map out the rest of the area they were sailing, given how much he could see in advance. But, seeing as though they were currently on a ship, the places he could run off to were quite limited. For the time being, the caboose would have to do. It was along the way there that Aoshin noticed something rather peculiar. Visible only to him as it were, granted that none of the others present aboard the ship possessed the ability to quite literally see all the way down to the floor of the ocean, Aoshin made out a Sea King that was storming toward the surface at raging speed. And, surely enough, when it sprouted out from the water, looking to devour the entirety of the vessel in one fell swoop, it was met first and foremost by Aoshin himself. Armed with, of all things, a quill in his hand, Aoshin swiped across his body several times, splitting the massive sea monster into thousands of pieces without forgoing his standing position. And as the chunks of meat fell back down into the sea, rendering the Sea King lifeless, Aoshin merely carried on as if nothing had ever happened. "Showing off as usual, isn't he?" Isshin sighed, returning to the matter at hand. "Where were we? Ah, yes, the presence of the Marines that came as a shock to all of us." Isshin reminisced. Although he was part of the side that did not expect the Marines, why was his tone that of indifference to the situation in the story? It was something that didn't catch the crewmen off guard, though. ---- Koyuki pushed through the second line of marines that went before her, without a blade. When her fist collided with the chest of one, the shockwave shook the others away from her not too long after. Looking backwards with delight, she faced Aoshin and Isshin. "Look!" she exclaimed, "The exit is right before us guys! It's right here, and then all we have to do is reach the beach and we're in the clear!" She fist pumped in celebration. "I knew this was a good idea." Following Koyuki's lead, Aoshin provided whatever support he could muster in his tattered form. Lacing through the enemy lines with the flicker of his blade, he stopped a ways behind the blue-haired phenom to catch his breath. In his moment of rest, he caught a glimpse of what he misjudged as a rocket. In reality, it was a particularly powerful marine officer storming Koyuki's backside. "Fuck! Koyuki, look out!" Isshin looked upon the sight of Koyuki's happiness at escape. And then, in that brief instant, noticed the Marine that dared to trample her ambition. It was a decision based purely on instinct. Isshin ran, using the very last vestiges of strength within his body, and appeared directly in front of the Marine that wished to kill Koyuki. "No!" Isshin stood firmly on the ground, the energy that the Marine officer used to try and kill Koyuki instead being redirected towards the ground, creating a large shockwave that pushed everyone away from his vicinity. "...Even if I die here..." Isshin coughed blood as he spoke, "I will...never...let you ruin our hopes..!" Isshin panted, blood continuing to trail down his chest. "Koyuki...continue onward...you are powerful...You cannot...will not...let these people take these dreams away from you..." His voice lowered and lowered, until finally there was only silence. That single man, that nobody had known of until this day, sacrificed his very life to protect a girl he only knew in prison. But he would lay down. He would pave a path for the future of his allies, for he could always see their conclusion from the heavens above. Koyuki slammed her fist into the cement hearth, pulling herself to an abrupt stop. Her eyes, almost immediately, fell onto Isshin as his body lay motionless. "I-Isshin," she managed weakly, her tone foreshadowing a stream of tears. She hesitantly took a step towards him, almost afraid to approach him. Koyuki could smell the blood on him. "I-Isshin!" She exclaimed louder than the first, expecting, no, demanding him to answer. "Isshin! Get up!" Suddenly, Koyuki took off in his direction, stumbling on her way over there like some drunkard in a blind rage. She slid onto her knees to his side, and immediately slammed her fist into his chest. "Fucking breathe, Isshin!" Her tone commanded with authority. Her eyes tried to fight back the stream of tears that dripped from them. "I-I said breathe, Isshin!" Yet again, she commanded, punching him in the heart again in efforts to restart it. Her efforts were in vain, and she knew it. Koyuki put her head on his chest distraughtly. "No, Isshin. Please, don't do this to me. W-We were supposed to get out of here," she monologued, her voice cracking nearly after every word. "Y-You can't leave me. You were the only one." Koyuki fell silent for a brief moment, using that instance to lift her head off his chest so that her eyes could look at his rather peaceful face. Even in his death, he somehow retained a calmness about him; a sereneness that he had used to quench Koyuki's fears during their time here. It was a sereneness that she had fell in love with. "You were the only one who was ever nice to me here, Isshin! So, goddammit, breathe!" She lifted her arms up to heimlich him again, yet another one of the prisoners caught her arms. Koyuki looked backwards towards the frowning figure as he nodded horizontally. "I'm sorry little girl, but he's gone." ---- "What the fuck?" A member of the crew interrupted. "Isshin, but you're standing right fucking here mate. Don't think we're dumb nuff to fall for some dumb shite like that, kay?" Another member of the crew hushed him. "Just shut yer trap and listen matey." He nodded at Isshin. "Keep going lad." ---- There wasn't a moment to lose. As much as it killed Aoshin to ruin the whole sentiment moment and all, the man had things to do; women to fuck. Dying here simply wasn't an option for him. "Oi, Koyuki! Pull yourself together!" He barked, fending off several marines at once with his sword. It was to his benefit that his Devil Fruit enabled him to see her without having to turn his head away. Losing his concentration here for even a second was certain death. Aoshin's pleas were to no avail; they fell on entirely deaf ears. At this point he was better off talking to himself. "Goddammit!" Ducking down low, he released a vicious swing that cut through the entire mob at once, dropping their bodies in one fell swoop. As the next wave of marines closed in on him, Aoshin tossed his sword into his mouth and sprinted like a madman toward Koyuki. "For fuck's sake, wake up already!" Scooping her up in his arms, it wasn't until he was a ways into his sprint and his backside was littered with gunfire that he noticed that in her despair, Koyuki had actually carried the corpse along with her. Priorities in mind, Aoshin shielded her and the dead body using himself, and taking off one foot, soared through the sky arriving upon the empty marine vessel. At which point he collapsed alongside the two of them momentarily, looking at Koyuki in disgust. Regardless, she didn't draw her eyes from Isshin's dead vessel, during the entirety of their escape. The stream of tears had dried, leaving a stain on her cheeks. "Why didn't you just leave me," Koyuki spoke suddenly, yet still as quiet as she had been during their escape. "Why did you grab me and not the others?" ---- "Of course, all's well that ends well." Isshin responded to his confused crewmates, realizing the sensitivity of the topic he was discussing. "I did not die that day, thankfully. Emergency first-aid from our Captain and the presence of a Doctor on the Marine vessel, who we quickly got to cooperate with us, narrowly saved my life." Isshin found that his own ship had finally completed its scheduled maintenance. "Ah, and there we have it. My ship has arrived." Isshin stated, before looking back at the crewmen he was talking to. "Unfortunately, there isn't enough time to finish the story. But, looking at our current state, I'm sure you can guess the rest, right?" Isshin began walking to his ship, waving to the crewmen who were listening to his story. "And remember," Isshin turned around for a moment, "Never trust Aoshin with stories about our Captain, or any woman, for that matter." And so he boarded his ship, and left for his next destination, perusal of a chain of islands under the Black Widow's supervision.